Photo Of The Day: Sarajevo Suburbs

by Adam Hodge on

The peaks of the Dinaric Alps form the lip of a bowl, at the bottom of which Sarajevo sits like a social science experiment. Three of the four Abrahamic religions and numerous ethnic groups grind against each other and have for centuries, the strain of external and internal conflict sometimes violently exploding upon the hapless Sarajevans. The best view of this crucible of culture (and war) is from the green-shaded hillsides that surround the city, which can be reached after only a half-hour walk from the center – a remarkable thing for any capital. While the city is great to look at, the hillsides when viewed from the city are just as pleasing to the eye, their stacked dwellings and wild valleys evoking a certain bygone mountain charm. In the foreground, though, the snow white headstones of war cemeteries carpet barren expanses, a reminder that the city is always a catalyst away from another violent reaction.

Do you have a great photo you’d like to share? Add it to the Gadling Flickr pool, and we might use it as our Photo of the Day.

Secret Toilet Discovered In Scottish Castle

by Sean McLachlan on

Archaeologists working on a conservation project at Drum Castle near Aberdeen, Scotland, have discovered two secret chambers, one of which includes a medieval toilet complete with its wooden seat.

Drum Castle features a 13th-century castle keep that’s the oldest intact example in Scotland. Besides the hidden toilet, the team found a second secret chamber that’s reputed to have been where one of the men of the clan hid out for three years after the defeat at the Battle of Culloden. The chamber with the toilet was hidden by bookshelves installed in the 19th century, while the second chamber was a real-life safe room for rebellious Scots. Both were found in the medieval keep.

From 1323-1975, Drum Castle was the seat of the Chief of Clan Irvine. In addition to the keep, the property features Jacobean and Victorian additions. It is now open to visitors and is only 10 miles outside Aberdeen. Visitors can see the historic interior and stroll through the surrounding ancient oak woodland, a rare survival of primeval forest that’s been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

San Francisco Hotels Ripping Off Stranded Travelers?

by Reena Ganga on

Hotels in the San Francisco area have come under scrutiny for price gouging following the Asiana Airlines plane crash on Saturday.

Thousands of flights were postponed or cancelled following the tragedy, leaving many travelers stranded in the city. Apparently, the sudden surge in demand for hotels led many establishments to up their prices – in some instances, dramatically so.

According to an NBC News report, mid-range hotels in San Francisco (which typically charge around $100-200 per night) were listing their rooms for ten times the usual rate. One example included a Best Western hotel, which had bumped its sticker price from $149 to a whopping $999 for a one-night stay.When later probed about the sky-high room rate, Best Western claimed that the advertised rate was a “mistake” and told Hotelchatter that no guests were actually charged the $999 rate. Instead, they were charging $309 versus the usual $149 rate.

NBC found many other hotels in the city were also charging significantly above the usual tariff.

We want to know, have you seen or been asked to pay an exorbitant price for a San Francisco hotel room following the plane crash?

Deep Sea Diving On The World’s First Underwater Wheelchair (VIDEO)

by Libby Zay on

Although both scuba gear and wheelchairs extend people’s range of activity, Sue Austin says one accoutrement is associated with excitement and adventure, while the other garners a completely different response. In order to challenge misconceptions about disability, Austin — who has been in a wheelchair for the past 16 years — set out to create live, underwater performances that would promote positive, empowering images of people in wheelchairs. Watch the mesmerizing video above and it could challenge your perception of disabilities, both by land and sea.

[via Virgin]

Measuring Bribery And Global Corruption

by Sean McLachlan on

Transparency International has released its Global Corruption Barometer for 2013, looking at the incidence and perception of corruption around the world.

In its most shocking results, the survey asked more than 114,000 people in 95 countries whether they had paid a bribe to a public servant (bureaucrat, police officer, etc.) in the past year. One in four said yes. Of course the percentage varied widely from country to country, with Finland, Denmark, Australia and Japan at only 1 percent and Sierra Leone coming out at 84 percent. Several populous countries such as China and Russia were not included in the survey.

Some of the results are unsettling. Seven percent of U.S. residents surveyed reported paying a bribe in the past year, and many highly touristed countries have high incidents of bribery. In India, 54 percent of those polled reported paying a bribe. The figure is 22 percent in Greece, 33 percent for Mexico, and 70 percent for Kenya.

Tourists are sheltered from much of this since they don’t deal with most bureaucracy. They’re not trying to open a business or get a land line hooked up, for instance. Sad to say, bribery is the only way to get these things done quickly in many countries.

Tourists do get asked for bribes, however. Personally, I’ve been asked for bribes on many occasions. As far as I can remember I’ve only paid bribes in Egypt, where I joined the ranks of 36 percent of Egyptians and paid a little baksheesh. I did it to get access to closed areas of ancient sites, and got the distinct impression that another bribe would have allowed me to take a few souvenirs home. That’s something I wouldn’t do. “Take only pictures, leave only footprints” applies to ancient temples too. I’ve heard many stories from other travelers of bribery to speed up visa applications or get into closed sites.

The fact that the incidence of bribery in the United States is so high for an established democracy didn’t come as a complete surprise. A friend of mine who used to organize block parties in Arizona regularly paid bribes to the city police in order not to get shut down for breaking the noise ordinance.

The BBC has posted an interesting interactive map from the data.

Have you ever paid a bribe while traveling? Take the poll, and share the dirty details in the comments section!

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